EP 0 744 788 A1 discloses a device of this type, which comprises a main body that is applied to a body to be contacted and a contact element to establish an electrically conductive connection with the body to be contacted. This contact element is held by retention means on a side of the main body that faces toward the body to be contacted when mounted. In this prior-art device, the main body has a strip-shaped metallic clamp, which is embedded in an elastic material. On the side that faces toward the body to be contacted when mounted, a contact surface is left free for the contact element. The contact element in this prior-art device is formed by a strip of copper braiding. The retention means for holding the contact element to the main body in this prior-art device is formed by an adhesive or a weld joint. In the desired mounting position, the longitudinal edges of the contact element extend substantially parallel to the adjacent edges of the main body.
When the contact element is mounted to the main body by means of a weld joint, there is a risk that the contact element may be detached from the main body and may be lost. A new contact element must then be procured before the device can be mounted. This is time consuming and increases the cost of both material and installation.
Mounting the contact element by means of an adhesive has the drawback that it undesirably increases the electrical resistance between the contact element and the strip-shaped metallic clamp of the main body.